(1861-65) Brass Civil War Sutler Token S-54-3B, J.A. Garman

Coin Details

Auction Record

$396 MS64 07-15-2018 Heritage Auctions

Description

Civil War sutler token issued by J.A. Garman, sutler to the 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. This 3-cent brass token served as camp currency, redeemable for goods at the sutler's field store. The most prolific sutler token issuer of the Civil War, producing tokens in six denominations (3, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 cents) — more than any other sutler. The 100-cent ($1) piece is the highest denomination known for any sutler token. His tokens are the most common and widely collected of all sutler issues. Some 5- and 10-cent pieces bear an "X" counterstamp after the final zero, a device believed to prevent fraudulent addition of zeros to inflate the denomination. Served in the Army of the Potomac and saw action in the Peninsula Campaign and at Antietam. Brass provided an ideal medium for sutler tokens — durable enough to withstand repeated handling in camp, resistant to tarnish, and economical for die sinkers to strike in quantity. Issued during the years when military camp commerce depended on private token currency to compensate for the federal coin shortage.

Rarity Notes

Schenkman S-54-3B. All sutler tokens are rated R-5 or higher on the Fuld rarity scale (fewer than 200 surviving examples of any given variety). In brass, this variety falls within the common range for the series. An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 sutler token pieces survive across all varieties.

Cross References

Schenkman S-54-3B